The Power of Journaling

May 18, 2017 ·

By Gwendolyn Crowe

I’m one of those people who can never sit still or focus on one thing. My mind is always all over the place and I get easily distracted. I think this is fairly common nowadays due to technology and entertainment being so accessible. It’s difficult to really zero in on something and give all of your attention to that particular thing.

Because of this, I decided to challenge myself to a week of journaling. I’ve personally never been much of a journaler. I’ve dabbled in it when I was younger, but I would just get bored and tired of writing so much. Weirdly enough, I think me being left-handed and holding my pencil awkwardly contributed to this because my hand would always hurt from writing. It was such a struggle for me to just relax and concentrate.

I heard about journaling being helpful mostly from people around me, but the first time I noticed the importance of journaling was during a writing camp that I attended. They had us journal outside every day and it really helped us notice the things around us. Journaling is important for a writer’s mind because it collects and organizes all of your thoughts, which is something I’ve struggled with doing; it’s a healthy outlet, and you can even go back and read memories that you otherwise may have forgotten had you not written them down. Keeping a journal of your life and the experiences you have is such a beneficial thing to do, and documenting various things can actually help in the long run.

So, as I said before, this past week I decided to do sort of an experimental test to see how journaling helped me. I wanted to see if I got better and more relaxed each time. I quickly learned I’m just not very good at journaling; it’s hard for me to keep up with it every day.

Though I found it difficult at first, I have a few tips for making it easier. For instance, writing in various places aside from just your bedroom is really helpful. That way, you’re out seeing the world and noticing new things to even possibly write about. I journaled outside under a tree and it really forced me to pay attention to the detail around me and open my mind. Not to mention the sunlight was very therapeutic and boosted my mood.

Journaling is important because it keeps your creativity going and, most importantly, it keeps you writing. It helps to stimulate your mind and remember things that occurred throughout your life. It also improves your memory. It’s definitely worth it to take a few minutes and jot something down – it doesn’t even have to be a full-fledged story, but just something to use as an outlet and to keep you writing consistently.